Shared workspace operator Workbox recently announced plans to open what will be its largest U.S. coworking space. Dedicated to providing solutions and resources to growing businesses, the company has its plans set on the Loop neighborhood of Chicago. Set to open in early June, the new space will be located at 20 N. Wacker Drive and will be known as Workbox Chicago – Civic Opera.
Marking the company’s seventh coworking space in Chicago and 13th nationwide, Workbox – Civic Opera occupies more than 68,000 square feet and offers a variety of workspace solutions across two floors. Plans include conference rooms; spacious lounges; a public outdoor space and workout facility; offices and suites for teams of up to 50 individuals; and all the amenities that members would expect from modern office space.
A variety of leasing specials are on offer for private offices and suites, as well as floating membership and reserved desk options for those interested in individual plans.
The Civic Opera Building at 20 North Wacker Drive, in Chicago’s Loop neighborhood. Property image courtesy of CommercialEdge.com.
“We have seen an acceleration of demand growth since the beginning of the year across our entire Chicago portfolio as companies big and small return to work,” said John Wallace, CEO and founder of Workbox. “The Civic Opera Building will be our second location in the Loop and offers our members even closer proximity to Ogilvie and Union stations, Chicago’s two main transportation hubs to and from the suburbs. We are also excited to bring new energy and life to one of the city’s landmark buildings that we believe has a lot more potential to become a professional destination.”
Originally completed in the early 1930s, the Civic Opera Building incorporates roughly 1.25 million square feet of space. It also features floor plates ranging between 5,000 and 46,000 square feet with standard ceiling heights and around 9,000 square feet of retail.
Detail of ground level exterior of the Civic Opera Building at 20 North Wacker Drive, in the Chicago Loop. Property image courtesy of CommercialEdge.com
In addition to becoming a part of a thriving coworking community of dynamic companies, members gain direct connection to more than 100 capital and operating partners; programming and networking events; and the wider member community and affiliates, such as Workbox Ventures. What’s more, Chicago Workbox members get to be a part of what has been the fastest-growing coworking scene since the start of the year.
Among the top-performing office markets in Q1 2025, Chicago stood out for the evolution of the local coworking scene. In fact, it was the only market in our ranking to see growth surpass the 1-million-square-foot mark. Specifically, Chicago added 1.1 million square feet of coworking space during the first three months of the year. This expansion of the flexible office space segment represented a modest, 0.3-percentage-point increase in the share of coworking space out of the total local office stock.
